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[7-11City-Council]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Roanoke's newly elected mayor won't take office until July 1st, but he is doing some early preparations.
Mayor elect Ralph Smith is meeting with city council members today.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=703-Roanoke/Tuesday Night; ]

Republicans are savoring their success... as both candidates who carried the GOP nomination into election day came away with victories.
Smith says he is already lining up meetings with present and future members of city council, the Roanoke County supervisors, and state officials.
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[SOT 00:32]
[IN Q=What got me into a service station]
((RALPH SMITH: WHAT GOT ME INTO A SERVICE STATION YEARS AGO WAS HARD WORK, AND WHAT GOT ME BEYOND THE SERVICE STATION WAS BASICALLY HARD WORK, AND WHAT GOT US THROUGH THIS CAMPAIGN WAS A LOT OF HARD WORK AND INGENUITY. AND THAT CONTINUES 'S WHAT I THINK I CAN DELIVER TO COUNCIL.))
[SUPER=701-Ralph Smith/Roanoke Mayor-Elect]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=I can deliver to council.]
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[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

Smith is expected to join the current members of council this morning, when they sit down to begin their budget study.

[7-11Danville-Council]

Danville's city council elections have left many questioning diversity in their local government.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=703-Danville;]

Elections have changed the physical makeup of the Danville City Council.
Incumbent candidates, Joyce Glaise (GLAZE) and Sherman Saunders-- both African Americans-- both lost their seats to white businessmen.
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[SOT 4:23:00]
[IN Q=I think the critical]
((PETER CASTIGLIONE/DANVILLE CITY COUNCIL: I THINK THE CRITICAL ISSUE IS THAT WE MAKE SURE WE DON'T MISS ANY SEGMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY. I THINK WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO WORK.))
[SOT 4:27:54]
((JOYCE GLAISE/DANVILLE CITY COUNCIL: IT'S IMPORTANT WE HAVE DIFFERENT VOICES ON COUNCIL NOT ONE COMMON THREAD OF BUSINESSMEN.))
[SUPER=701-Peter Castiglione/Danville City Council; :00]
[SUPER=701-Joyce Glaise/Danville City Council; :14]
[RUNS=:20]
[OUT Q=thread of businessmen.]
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[VO-NAT]

Some city officials are concerned that not enough minorities voted.
Mayor Ruby Archie, the only African American left on city council, says she will retire when her term is up in two years.
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[7-11Sales-Tax]

Raising taxes is a lot easier for politicians if they let their constituents do it themselves..
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

That's the plan in Lynchburg, where city leaders want to raise the sales tax by a penny to pay for school projects over the next ten years.
To do that, the city needs permission from the General Assembly to hold a tax hike referendum.
Residents would then get to vote for both the sales tax increase and a ten- cent CUT in the local real estate tax.
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[SOT 19:49:40]
[IN Q=We cut real]
((PETE WARREN/LYNCHBURG MAYOR: WE CUT REAL ESTATE TAXES AND THAT'S THE COMPROMISE.. WE STILL END UP WITH OVER SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE AND IF WE SPEND THAT MONEY ON THE SCHOOLS, THEN THAT FREES UP OTHER CITY MONEY TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO IN THE CITY, SO TO ME IT'S A WIN- WIN SITUATION.))
[SUPER=01-Pete Warren/Lynchburg Mayor;]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=win-win situation.]
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[VO-NAT]

The idea faces a tough road.. Governor Gilmore and Republican lawmakers have routinely DENIED
permission to other localities to raise taxes.
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[45-Washington-Park]

A proposal from the Catholic Diocese to contribute three hundred thousand dollars to the Roanoke Parks and Recreation has created a bit of controversy.
The money would be used to build additional athletic facilities at Washington Park.
But the stipulations on when the public can use the park verses the Catholic high school have some saying that just isn't fair.
Kate Weidaw has more.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=If a proposal]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; :00]
[SUPER=01-John Coates/Roanoke Parks and Rec. Dir.; :23]
[SUPER=01-Martin Jeffrey/Roanoke NAACP President; :47]
[SUPER=@Kate1;1:05]
[RUNS=1:25]
[OUT Q=kw news 7 roanoke.]
(( If a proposal from the Catholic Diocese is approved you may find more basketball and tennis courts, as well as soccer fields at Washington Park.
John Coates the Director of Roanoke City Parks and Recreation says the 300 thousand dollar contribution from the Catholic Diocese would add to the parks athletic facilities -- and at the same time help Roanoke Catholic.
[SOT 2:39:46]
[INQ=]
((JOHN COATES: WHAT THEY'VE OFFERED IN THEIR PROPOSAL IS THEY MAKE THE INVESTMENTS IN THE PARK AND IN RETURN THE CITY WOULD GIVE THEM SPECIFIC ACCESS TO SOME OF THOSE IMPROVEMENTS CERTAIN HOURS OF CERTAIN DAYS OF THE YEAR.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS14]
But local NAACP President Martin Jeffrey says that's not fair to the Northwest residents.
They use the park for activities almost everyday for inner city children.
[SOT 2:54:08]
[INQ=]
((MARTIN JEFFREY: WE THINK THEY OUGHT TO CONTRIBUTE AND THAT'S GREAT BUT TO CONTRIBUTE AND PLACE STIPULATIONS ON IT THAT'S ABSOLUTELY INAPPROPRIATE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS08]

No one from Roanoke Catholic was able to comment on the proposal.
Parks and Rec officials say they're only in the preliminary stage and are looking into the impact the proposal may have on the community.
[STANDUP]
[INQ=]
((KATE WEIDAW/REPORTING: CITY OFFICIALS SAY BEFORE ANY DECISION IS MADE THEY WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING. THE PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT SAYS THE ADDITIONS THAT WOULD BE MADE ARE ONES THE COMMUNITY ASKED FOR LAST SUMMER.
THEY HOPE TO HAVE A DECISION ON THE PROPOSAL BY THIS SUMMER. KATE WEIDAW NEWS 7 ROANOKE.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS=]))

[45-11Young]

The Virginia State bar has reprimanded a Martinsville attorney.
Three years ago attorney Rickey Young sued a client, claiming the man owed him 36-hundred dollars for damaging the engine in his Porsche.
Young revised that figure to SIX hundred and later dropped the suit.
It cost Todd Davidson 12-hundred dollars to defend himself.
The State Bar says the hearing panel reviewed Young's "prior disciplinary record," before imposing a public reprimand.

[45-11Parish-Nursing]

Some Roanoke Valley Churches are offering more than just spiritual healing.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke; ]
About 30 registered nurses volunteer for the parish nursing program.
Parish nurses offer health education along with special services like foot care.
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[SOT tc 00:05:36]
[IN Q=When you get]
((EDITH MOYERS/BELMONT BAPTIST CHURCH MEMBER: WHEN YOU GET THE KIND OF SHOES I HAVE TO GET WHEN YOU PAY 60, 70 DOLLARS YOU CAN GET TWO OR THREE PAIRS, WHEN YOU'RE ON A FIXED INCOME.))
[SUPER=01-Edith Moyers/Belmont Baptist Church]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=on a fixed income]
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[VO-NAT]

The ministry wants to draw attention to the new program in honor of National Nurses Day May 6th.
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[45Weather]

Let's take a look at your gorgeous Thursday forecast...
Mostly sunny with warm southerly winds and highs in the upper 70s.
Turning partly cloudy tonight, with lows in the upper 50s.
And looking ahead to the weekend....partly cloudy and unseasonably mild...with highs in the 80s...lows near 60.

[8-11Forest-Burn]

Fire tore through Brush Mountain yesterday, but it was no disaster.
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[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co.;]

Forest rangers set the massive controlled burn early yesterday.
Smoke could be seen from miles away.
The fire is set by rangers to help prevent future wildfires.
It also encourages re-growth of rare plants and trees.
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[SOT 1:51:23 - :34]
[IN Q=We're using a]
((JESSE OVERCASH/WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST: WE'RE USING A NATURAL FACTOR TO KEEP A NATURAL FOREST TYPE OUT THERE. AND THAT, TO ME IS THE PRIMARY BENEFIT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.))
[SUPER=01-Jesse Overcash/Wildlife Biologist;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=of what we're doing.]
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[VO-NAT]

About 35 rangers torched brush on the ground.
A helicopter dropped flammable ping-pong balls on the mountain to speed up the burn.
The fire was expected to be out last, but rangers will continue to monitor the area today.
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[8-Wave-Bike]

A project by a Roanoke inventor goes on display today at the Smithsonian Institution.
George Tatum has spent more than five-thousand hours over the last five years working on his
WaveBike.
The device is a combination of a rowing scull and a bicycle. The WaveBike can exceed 14 knots in calm water and surf on waves at nearly 20 knots. Both speeds are faster than the average sailboat.
Tatum is a Roanoke middle school teacher. He hopes to begin producing the bikes for sale in June.

70's super-group KISS performed for a huge crowd at the Roanoke civic center.
The band is hanging up their suits after the tour.
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[SOT]
[IN Q=nat music]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=nat music]
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[8Weather]

Time once more to look over the forecast...
Turning mostly sunny with highs nearing 80 this afternoon.
Tonight should be partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 50s.
And looking ahead to the weekend....partly cloudy and unseasonably mild...with highs in the 80s...lows near 60.